Three-in-one commode and waste diverting seat

ABSTRACT

A three-in-one commode with waste diverting capability is disclosed for use by elderly or infirm people wherein the commode can interface with both a standard and an elongated toilet, yet provides the comfort and ease of use of an elongated size toilet seat for the users.

This application claims priority from provisional application60/337,574, filed Oct. 22, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to commodes and toilets for ill and/orelderly people.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the field of toilets, there are two types of seats, standard andelongated. While the exact dimensions can sometimes vary, a standardtoilet, is a toilet having a generally round (or egg shaped) openingtoilet, and which is installed in most homes and offices, etc. Astandard toilet (sometimes referred to as a regular toilet), or alsoreferred to as a household toilet (which is not the most accuratedescription as standard toilets are available in offices, commercialbuildings, etc.)

Standard toilet bowls are adapted to use standard toilet seats. Thestandard toilet seat has an opening commensurate with the opening of astandard toilet bowl.

On the other hand, an elongated toilet is generally defined as anytoilet other than a standard toilet (except for a pediatric size) whichhas a larger opening than the standard toilet. Elongated toilet seatsare adapted to fit on elongated toilets, which are generally moreoblong, elliptical, and/or rectangular in shape (generally with roundededges), and has a larger open area than the more circular standardtoilet.

Elongated toilets (and elongated toilet seats) are desirable forexcessively obese patients, as well as people with certain medicalconditions (swelling) where the standard toilet seat is too small.

Commodes are often used in hospitals, hospices, and are used in thehomes by ill and elderly people because they provide support that is notavailable from a stationary toilet. Specifically, a commode generallycomprises at least a front cross bar, a rear cross bar, and two sidecross bars. A toilet seat usually is arranged so that at least two sidesrest on either the front and rear crossbar, or the two side cross bars,to stabilize the seat.

A commode has a pan having an upper portion and a lower portion, the panbeing arranged underneath the toilet seat. While the pan could have asolid bottom, most commodes have an opening in the bottom of the pan.The entire commode itself is arranged to be placed over a toilet, sothat waste will be discharged from the opening in the bottom of the pandirectly into the toilet. This permits a more hygienic design than aclosed pan, which would have to be removed and discharged.

The upper portion of the pan has a generally arcuate surface extendingdownwardly from the upper portion of the pan to a generally circularbottom. Although the generally circular bottom is preferred, othershapes, (square, substantially triangular, rectangular, etc.) could beused. However, the prior art is lacking in providing a commode adaptedto specifically accommodate the larger and ill patients.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Three-in-One Commode

The present invention provides a three-in-one commode, the threefeatures being a commode which has drop arms, an elongated toilet seatand a pan having an integrally formed or attached a splash guard adaptedso that the commode can be positioned over a standard toilet, yetprovide a user with the comfort of an elongated toilet. The pan, whichcommunicates with the elongated toilet seat at an upper portion, istapered downwardly to fit over or in a standard toilet bowl. The commodecomprises a front cross bar assembly, a rear cross bar assembly, and twodrop arms which are pivotally connected, slidably connected, orattachable/detachable from at least one of the front or rear cross barsso as to provide adjustable arm rests and provide support while gettingon or off the commode, an elongated toilet seat arranged on top at leasttwo opposing crossbars, and a pan arranged below the elongated toiletseat, said pan having an elongated upper portion which is tapereddownwardly to a lower portion having an opening on the bottom, so thatthe lower portion fits over a standard toilet bowl, yet the commodeprovides the user with the comfort of an elongated toilet.

The arms rails provide an additional source of stability for a user tohold on while getting on or off the commode. There are often patientswith mobility and balance problems, such as stroke patients, patientstaking medications that can cause drowsiness, patients in wheelchairsand/or have multiple sclerosis and their need to use their arms to pullthemselves onto or off of the commode because of weakness in their legs,just to name a few.

The three-in-one commode may optionally include side cross bars, theside cross bars are attached to portions of the front and rear crossbars by any of clamping, welding, bolting, riveting, bonding, springloaded pins, etc.

Optionally, in an embodiment, the front cross bar assembly and the rearcross bar assembly have lower stabilizer bars which are formed so that aleast a center portion of each lower stabilizer bar is in contact withthe center portion of the other stabilizer bar, and can be clamped,welded, bolted, nailed, screwed, snapped, riveted, glued, or evensintered together. For purposes of illustration and not limitation, therear stabilizer bar can be generally U-shaped, C-shaped, V-shaped, orL-shaped, and the front stabilizer can be shaped the same way, exceptthat its orientation is changed so that the stabilizer bars will contacteach other for at least a portion of their length. Generally, the rearstabilizer bar is formed so that the commode could be pushed from thefront of a stationary toilet so that it fits over the stationary toilet,wherein the portion where the stabilizer bars contact each other servean alignment function.

Optionally, the three-in-one commode could have a closed pan, or comewith a bucket that either attaches to the pan, or positioned directlyunder the pan.

Optionally, in another aspect of the invention, a backrest may beattached to, extend from, or form part of the rear cross bar assembly.

The three-in-one commode permits heavy-duty support for ill and/orelderly people having problems with balance, walking, etc., bysupporting the user via the drop arms arranged on the sides. In oneembodiment, the three-in-one commode can support as much as 600 poundsin weight. In another embodiment, the three-in-one commode can supportmore than 1000 pounds of weight.

Optionally, a lower portion of the elongated toilet seat may have siderails by which the pan is slidably installed and/or removed fromunderneath the elongated toilet seat.

Optionally, the rim of the pan may be arranged over at least upperportions of the front and rear cross bars.

The elongated toilet seat can be attached by a hinge mechanism so as tobe pivotally moved in a first position directly over the pan, and in asecond position perpendicular to the upper surface of the pan,permitting removal for cleaning, etc.

Optionally, while the three-in-one commode provides the advantage ofproviding the comfort of an elongated toilet with the practicality ofbeing adapted for use over a standard toilet seat, in an embodiment, thecommode could be adapted to be positioned over an elongated and/ornon-standard toilet bowl.

Optionally, the height of the commode can be adjustable by having anupper portion of the front cross bar and rear cross bar being arrangedso as to be telescopically arranged in tubular lower portions, and a pinor key can be used to adjust the height defined by a series of holes inboth the upper portion and lower portions of the cross bars, the holeswhich need to be aligned so that the pins or keys can penetrate thealigned holes.

Optionally, the height of the arm rests can be adjustable by having theupper portions of the side cross bars being telescopically arranged intubular lower portions of the side cross bars, and a pin or key can beused to adjust the height defined by a series of holes in both the upperportion and lower portion, the holes which need to be aligned so thatthe pins or keys can penetrate the aligned holes.

Optionally, a toilet paper roll can be attached anywhere on frame of thethree-in-one commode, meaning anywhere on any of the front, rear and/orside cross bars.

Optionally, the three-in-one commode can have non-skid feet attached atthe bottom, to decrease the possibility that a person with mobilityproblems is not injured by the commode sliding while a person ismounting or dismounting same.

The downward tapering of the pan is optionally tapered downward andtoward the back, allowing for a an improved splash guard function as theliquid flowing into the pan will tend to contact the upper portion ofthe pan in the front and roll downward toward the opening. This designprevents the ricochet of fluids off the sidewalls of the pan, keepingthe user dry and providing a more hygienic commode than heretofore knownin the prior art.

For purposes of illustration and not limitation, preferably the angle inthe front is approximately 45 degrees, as a lower angle tends to makethe front portion too flat, which will increase the possibility ofricochet, and a higher angle than 45 degrees may also contribute toincreased splatter. However, this 45 degree angle is intended only forone particular aspect of the invention, and a person of ordinary skillin the art should understand that the presently claimed invention is notlimited to a 45 degree angle in the front of the pan, and can be anyangle as a predetermined, so long as there is a downward tapering sothat the elongated opening fits into a standard toilet.

Optionally, in another aspect of the present invention, there can be twopan support bars connecting the front cross bar to the rear cross baralong the top of each cross bar, the pan support bars being spaced apartsufficiently so that the pan can be placed therebetween, and a rim alongthe edge of the pan can rest stably on the pan support bars.

Waste Diverting Toilet Seat

The present invention includes a waste diverting toilet seat, whereinthe seat and splashguard comprise a single unit. The waste divertingseat can be integrally formed from a single mold, or the seat andsplashguard can be joined by any known method, such as adhesive,sintering, fasteners, bolts, screws, pins, nails, or even temporaryconnections such as Velcro. In addition, the splashguard make snap intothe toilet seat, which is adapted to receive the splashguard.Alternatively, the splashguard or toilet could have flanged surfacesadapted for slidable installation and removal along rails formed in aportion of the toilet seat. For example the thickness of the seat couldbe reduced at a front portion so the flanged front of the splashguardfits in rails formed on a lower portion of the seat.

The portion of the splashguard that fits into the toilet seat mayoptimally have a thickness so as to fill in the reduced thickness of thefront portion of the seat so that the thickness of the seat that restsupon the upper surface of a toilet bowl is approximately equal.

Alternatively, the waste diverting seat may have the front portion ofthe toilet seat (that receives or is attached to the splashguard)oriented at a slight incline to add in the diversion of the waste downthe splashguard and toward the back of the lower portion of a toiletbowl, where the opening to the sewage pipe is situated.

The waste diverting seat may also have a splashguard with a spiral innerconfiguration to aid in centrifugal action of the waste as it isdiverted down into the toilet bowl.

The waste diverting toilet seat can have a standard opening, orelongated opening, these sizes being known by persons of ordinary skillin the art.

The waste diverting toilet seat may also have a provide an elongatedopening for a toilet bowl having a standard opening (The terms forelongated and standard being known to persons of ordinary skill in theart). This particular embodiment would extended beyond the front portionof a standard toilet bowl, and the splashguard formed in the wastediverting toilet seat would be tapered back toward the standard toiletopening because it would be arranged in a channel, groove, or void inthe lower portion of the toilet seat, preferably toward the front. Thethickness of the seat should be chosen to provide the clearancenecessary for a person to sit on an elongated seat, and if they weresitting toward the front of the seat, not physically contact the frontof the toilet seat. This could be a approximately several inches thick,optionally but in no way limited to at least three inches. Of course, anapproximate two inch thick seat, or any number (such as four inches, sixinches eight inches, etc.) would be within the spirit and scope of theinvention. The thicker toilet seat would assist ill/elderly peoplebecause they would not have to sit as low as they would on a standardtoilet seat, yet have the comfort of an elongated opening with asplashguard so that the waster diverting seat can be arranged on astandard size opening toilet bowl.

The waste diverting seat could be used in homes, hospitals, hospices,doctors offices, offices, public restrooms, anywhere that accomodates atoilet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment the three-in-one commodeaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2. is bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, showing thearrangement of the pan, which slides along rails underneath a stationaryseat.

FIG. 3 a bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, rotated by 90degrees to illustrate the arrangement of the rear cross bar and the rearstabilizer bar.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the first embodiment, illustrating the view ofthe tapered pan, which includes a splashguard integrally formed therein.

FIG. 6 is the plan view of FIG. 5 rotated by 90 degrees.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating how an elongated opening in thetoilet seat is adapted for use over a standard toilet by tapering thepan downward from the front of the elongated opening toward the back, sothat the opening of the pan fits in or over a standard toilet opening.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment where the opening is more central arrangedrelative to the elongated opening in the toilet seat than theillustration shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, whereinthe commode has a standard weight capacity (a person or ordinary skillin the art knows and understands what the term standard weight capacitymeans with regard to commodes). The toilet seat is hinged in the back soas to be flipped substantially perpendicular to the upper opening of thepan, or parallel to the upper opening of the pan when in use.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, showing howthe elongated opening of the pan matches the opening of the toilet seat,then tapers downward and back so as to provide a splash guard functionwhile permitting the comfort of an elongated toilet seat in use withhomes having a standard toilet bowl.

FIG. 11 illustrates how the elongated toilet seat of the three-in-onecommode of the present invention can be pivoted by hinges, and whereinin lieu of a pan, the seat is attached to a splash guard without anactual pan, because the splash guard is adapted to be positioned over astandard toilet bowl.

FIG. 12 illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 9and 10, wherein the pan support bars can be seen providing support tothe rim of the pan, which extends over portions of the support bars.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a three-in-one commode according tothe present invention. While this embodiment is a heavy-duty commode,which permits weight capacities up to 600 lbs, the invention is notlimited to this weight. For example, the same basic structure can beused to permit capacities of 1000 lbs. or more, or it could also be madeto support a standard weight.

Normally, for reasons of safety, it is preferred that the commode beable to provide a minimum of 300 lbs. of support, because of thepossibility that it can be used in care facilities as well as home use,and there is a possibility that even the intended user weighs far lessthan 300 lbs., another person who is considerably heavier but in thehigh end of the normal range of weight could use the commode withoutrisk of injury.

FIG. 1 shows a frame comprising a front cross bar assembly 100, a rearcross bar assembly 110, drop arms 120, a stationary seat 130 (this seatcould be removable, pivotable or slidably detachable from the frame) anda pan 140.

The arms 120 are shown where the left arm is in an upright lockedpositioned, but the right arm is in an unlocked positioned. There can beinstances where locking and using only one side is preferable, forexample, when a person suffering from paralysis on one side needs theassistance of a care-taker to get on and off the seat. By keeping onerail down, this could assist the caretaker in holding on and providingsupport to the patient's weak side during the seating and dismount fromthe commode.

The arms, also referred to as “drop arms” could be pivotable, slidable,and snappable, include fasteners, which can be fastened and orunfastened by the user. The arms may have a series of holes thereinwhereby a pin and or bolt is arranged, which may or may not be springloaded, can be used to adjust and or lock the arm into position. In thedepicted embodiment in FIG. 1, clamps 150 are used. The clamps could betensioned to remain closed but have a space in a center portion justslightly smaller than the width of each of the arms, so that the arm ispushed into the clamp and remains held in place by the bias in theclosed position. Alternatively, there could be spring-loaded clips,pins, etc, which are pushed into the clamps after the arm is positionedin place. The arms could pivot from a lower position horizontally,vertically, or a combination of the two, depending on the particularshape of the arms, the type of clamp or fastener.

The backrest 160, may telescopically extend out of the rear cross bar,or it could be attached by any known method. The backrest is notrequired, and could either be adjustable, or permanently welded intoposition, if present. The backrest in the depicted embodiment has aU-shape, but the artisan understand that any shape (e.g. V-Shape,C-shaped, L-shaped, A-shaped, tapered, round, oval, triangular,polygonal) could be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seat 130 has two side rails 210 which are spacedapart at a predetermined length to permit the pan 220, having a rim 230,slide in and out of the rails for cleaning and/or storage.

The pan 220 has an opening on the bottom to permit the commode to bearranged over a standard toilet. Alternatively, the commode could bepositioned over a bucket, or a bucket could be attached to the pan butproviding, for example, a flanged rim on the bottom of the pan, so thata bucket could be slide thereon.

FIG. 2 also shows the front stabilizer bar 240 and the rear stabilizerbar 250. As shown in the figure, the front stabilizer bar attaches tothe front cross bar, and the rear stabilizer bar attaches to the rearcross bar. Both stabilizer bars are formed so that at least a portion ofthe stabilizer bars is in contact with each other to provide theadditional stability. FIGS. 3 and 4 also show different views of thestabilizer bars.

In the depicted embodiment, the stabilizer bars are welded. However,they could be epoxied, sintered clamped, riveted, bolted, clippedtogether by retaining pins, etc. Also, there does not have to be literalcontact between the stabilizer bars, although this is the preferredembodiment. In other words there could a clamp which has center portionthat is wedged between the stabilizer bars and the when the clamp isclosed, the stabilizer bars are not in literal contact with each otherbut are in contact with the clamp (or other fastener).

It is to be understood that the particular bending of the stabilizerbars is not the only way by which they can be formed so as to be joined,clamped, clipped, glued or welded together. While the bars can be joinedaccording to predetermined needs for stability, the particulararrangement shown in FIG. 2 illustrates that the front stabilizer bar240 does not have as pronounced of a bend as the rear stabilizer bar.

This forming of the stabilizer bars can be made so as to position theopening of the pan directly over a standard towel bowl, where the rearbar is has a more pronounced bend so that the rear stabilizer bar fitsaround the base of a standard toilet bowl, at such a positioned thatwhen the stabilizer bar is close to contact with the standard toilet,the opening of the pan is centered over the opening of the standardtoilet bowl, preferably over the portion where having the water remainswhen a toilet is ready for flushing.

The pan itself has an elongated upper portion comprising a splashguardthat tapers down to the bottom opening. This permits the commode to havean elongated toilet seat with an elongated opening, but allows for easyusability with a standard toilet bowl. Of course, the commode could alsobe positioned over an elongated toilet bowl, but the advantage lies inthat many homes, hospitals, hospices, health care facilities and officeshave standard size toilet bowls.

The splashguard portion 510 of the pan 250 is shown in an overhead viewin FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In addition, FIG. 7, which is a plan view of thepan shown in FIG. 2, shows how the splash guard is formed so that fluidswould flow back and down toward the opening of the pan. The splash guardprovides a much more hygienic commode than previously known, and allowsfor the use of an elongated toilet seat having an elongated opening,which via the structure of the splash guard, is formed for use with astandard toilet bowl.

Optionally, the interior of the splashguard and the pan could bespirally formed to cause the fluid to centrifugually travel a spiralpath downward prior to exiting the pan. This improvement could reducethe splashing upward if the angle of exit is something other thansubstantially perpendicular to the water in the toilet bowl. Also, thespirals could be designed for counter-clockwise and clockwise flow, tofacilitate flushing in both areas above and below the equator, becausein these geographical areas the orientation of the rotation of drainageis different.

FIG. 2 also shows that the commode has feet 260, which are optional.Preferably, the feet are made of a non-skid material to reduce thepossibility of the commode sliding while a user is getting on or off.

FIG. 7 shows a much more pronounced difference between the elongatedopening of the toilet seat and the opening of the pan at the bottomwhere fluid is discharged. Alternatively, the pan can be adjusted to fitat several positions below the seat to allow for custom centering of thepan over a standard toilet, elongated toilet, bucket, etc.

FIG. 8 shows a different position of the pan with regard to the seatthan shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows yet another embodiment, where heavy-duty use is notrequired. In this three-in-one commode, an elongated toilet seat 910 isarranged to fit over the opening of the pan 920. The pan itself hasflanged edges that are used to position same on pan support bars 930. Inthis embodiment, the pan support bars are arranged from front to back,but they could be arranged from side to side. This pan also has a splashguard portion 940 which permits more hygienic use and serves to guidethe fluid to an opening suitable for positioning over the opening of astandard toilet bowl, while allowing the advantages and comfort of anelongated toilet seat and elongated opening.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9. It should benoted that an artisan understands that the toilet seat can be hinged tothe rear cross bar, backrest, and could even be pivotally attached toside bars or side rails.

FIG. 11 depicts how a toilet seat and splashguard can be pivotallyattached to the commode. It should be understood that the splashguard isnot required to be integrally formed with the pan, although suchconstruction is preferred. For example, the splash guards could attachedto the toilet seat (the toilet seat could be any of elongated, standardor pediatric) and provide direction of the fluid to a separate pan.

Finally, FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 9,showing the pan support bars, in this embodiment, being attached to ahorizontal support. It is by the artisan that the pan support bars canbe connected to other portions of the frame (sides) etc., that would notdepart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Invention not Limited to Depicted Embodiments

It is understood by an artisan that many modifications may be made fromthe embodiments depicted and/or described which does not part from thespirit and scope of the invention.

It is to be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent invention shown in the drawings and described herein are forpurposes of illustration, not limitation. An artisan understands and itis well within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention that minorchanges might be made to the depicted embodiments that do not departfrom the invention. For example, the shapes of the crossbars do not haveto be U-shaped, as they could be A-shaped, V-shaped, C-Shaped, L-shaped,square, square with rounded edges, square with chamfered edges, round,partially oval, oblong, have acute angles of intersection, have obtuseor right angles of intersection, can be a single piece, can made frommultiple pieces joined together which can be pivotable, slidable, snapat least partially within one another, telescopically extended from aleast a portion of each other.

Furthermore, the siderails can have polygonal shapes whereby only ahandle portion extends up from two ends which are adjoined at lower endsto clamps, cross bars, side bars, legs, support bars, stabilizer bars,etc. The adjustable height can be lockable by any known method known toan artisan, including but not limited to cotter pins, flat pins, bolts,wing nuts, through-shafts, rivets, nails, bolts, etc.

It should also be understood that while the preferred material for thecommode frame is metal, any substance having sufficient durability, suchas plastic or wood, could be used for portions of, or all of thestructure of the commode frame provided that the material can withstandthe weight capacity. Further, care should be exercised so that amaterial is not chosen that is either too brittle that the structurecould crack when under stress, or too deformable so as to bend or becomemisaligned, which could also be a source of injury, as persons usingthese type of structure are often in poor health and/or just had majorsurgery, and often have problems with balance and walking.

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 24. (canceled)25. (canceled)
 26. A commode comprising: an elongated toilet seat; abase having left and right upper side portions and an upper centralportion and lower portion, and a cut-out in said upper central portionthat is adapted to receive said elongated toilet seat thereon, and saidlower portion of said base being adapted for placement over at least astandard size toilet bowl; a pan having a lower portion and a bottomopening for discharge at said lower portion, said pan further having aback, a front, and an elongated upper portion, such that said elongatedportion is arranged substantially coincident underneath the elongatedtoilet seat, said pan further having a splash guard, said pan beingtapered downward and to said back according to a generally arcuatesurface at said front portion and from said elongated upper portion soas to fit over at least a standard sized toilet bowl, and so as todivert waste downward and back towards said bottom opening fordischarge.
 27. (canceled)
 28. The commode according to claim 26, whereinthe pan attaches to the elongated toilet seat by snaps.
 29. The commodeaccording to claim 26, wherein the pan attaches to the elongated toiletseat by clips.
 30. The commode according to claim 26, wherein the panattaches to the elongated toilet seat by fasteners.
 31. The panaccording to claim 26, wherein the pan attaches to the elongated toiletseat by a velcro®-type fastener.
 32. The pan according to claim 26,wherein the pan is integrally formed with the elongated toilet seat. 33.The pan according to claim 26, wherein the splashguard has a series ofchannel grooves on an inner portion to direct fluid toward the back ofthe elongated toilet seat.
 34. The waste diverting seat according toclaim 26, wherein the toilet seat has a series of predeterminedthicknesses to adapt a toilet bowl for use at a series of predeterminedheights.
 35. The waste diverting seat according to claim 34, wherein thepredetermined thickness of the toilet seat is between two to eightinches thick.
 36. The waste diverting seat according to claim 26,wherein the toilet seat has rails to facilitate attachment of thesplashguard.
 37. (canceled)
 38. (canceled)
 39. A splashguard for atoilet seat comprising: a front and a back; an upper portion adapted forattachment with said a toilet seat; and a lower portion which is tapereddownward and toward the back, so that the splashguard is adapted to fitwithin a standard sized toilet.
 40. The splashguard according to claim39, wherein the upper portion is adapted for attachment to an elongatedtoilet seat.
 41. The splashguard according to claim 39, wherein theupper portion is adapted for attachment to a pediatric toilet seat. 42.The splashguard according to claim 39, further comprising a series ofchannel grooves arranged to guide fluid downward.
 43. The splashguardaccording to claim 39, further comprising a series of channel grooves ata front portion that are positioned to direct fluid toward the back of atoilet seat.